University of Virginia Library

Third Incident

The incident, the third in four
months, followed a rally in support
of the Laos and Cambodian
operations at which anti-war figures
were denounced for "stabbing the
soldiers in the back." Leaflets were
passed out by unidentified
individuals threatening violence
against deputies Duc and Nhuan.

Deputy Duc charged in a speech
Monday that the terrorists came
from the ranks of the
demonstrators at the rally, and an
editorial Tuesday morning
suggested that the firebombing was
ordered by the government.

The rally, officially called by the
"People's Committee to Support
the Frontlines," was considered by
experienced political observers here
to be an initiative by the Thieu
regime to create an impression of
widespread confidence in the
military and to intimidate those
who opposed the Laos operation.
Similar rallies were held elsewhere
in the country on Sunday.

Leaflets handed out near the
City Hall said, "The people are
determined to beat to death the
Communist infiltrators Ho Ngoc
Nhuan and Ngo Cong Duc". The
rally also denounced the
"traitorous attitude" of the
"pseudo-pacifists" and called on
the government to strictly
implement Article 4 of the
Constitution under which anti-war
and neutralist activists have been
prosecuted in the past for "aiming
at propagandizing for
Communism."

Chairman of the "People's
Committee," Nguyen Van Dieu,
who is also Chairman of the Saigon
City Council denied in an interview
Tuesday that his group was
responsible for the leaflets. But
some banners at the rally
reportedly carried the slogan,
"Down with the Communist
lackeys Ngo Cong Duc and Ho
Ngoc Nhuan, who are stabbing the
soldiers in the back."

Asked whether he considered
the editors of Tin Sang and others
who opposed the U.S. -
Vietnamese operation in Southern
Laos as "pseudo-pacifists" or
"lackeys of the Communists,"
Chairman Dieu replied that his
group did not talk about any
individuals. "That is up to the
government to decide," he said.

The rally in Saigon itself was
sparsely attended and appeared to
be lacking in fervor. A large
percentage of the demonstrators
who lined up in front of City Hall